Wednesday News - October 3, 2012

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All submissions for the Tuesday News should be sent by Friday, 3:00 pm. to publicrelations@merriconeag.org

Upcoming Events

What do we mean by growing up from the inside out?

Wed, Oct 10, 7:00 - 7:30 pm., Community Hall

Douglas Gerwin, a renowned Waldorf high school teacher and Waldorf teacher educator, will open the grades 6, 7, & 8 parent evening in the Community Hall. This portion of the parent evening is open to any Merriconeag parent interested in hearing Dr. Gerwin's thoughts on this topic. Come one, come all!  

Eurythmy Spring Valley Ensemble

Monday, October 15, Community Hall

10:00 a.m. for Early Childhood - Grade 2

11:00 a.m. for Grades 3 - 12

Parents and friends of the school are welcome

to join us for both performances.

     On Monday, October 15, the Eurythmy Spring Valley Ensemble (a constellation of seven young and seasoned eurythmists, along with a speaker, musician, and lighting technician) will present two shows in our Community Hall.

     The first performance is at 10:00 a.m. for Early Childhood - Grade 2 and it will be the fairy tale, The Flea and the Little Louse. This is a charming and comforting tale from France with a running time of about 20 minutes. Little Flea is upset when he returns home to find that Little Louse is absent. Did Little Louse fall into the soup pot? (No, Little Louse is asleep under the rose bush.) However, the table, the baking trough, the door, and the tree all speak to comfort Little Flea and then go with himinto the wide world, where they discover that Little Louse is alive and well. They all laugh and laugh until they come back home to have the soup.

     The second performance will be at 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon for Grades 3 - 12 and it is the fairy tale, Gawain and the Loathly Lady. This tale begins at Christmas Tide at Camelot, and all the knights and ladies surrounding Arthur and Guinevere celebrate.
But suddenly in rides a noble lady and tells her woes of the giant of the northern waste who challenges Arthur to fight: and so Lady Adventure visits and Arthur must ride forth. Soon his life and honor are forfeited to a most loathly lady, and none of his gallant knights seem to be able to help him. Thus this new tale draws us into the rich
pageantry of one of the Arthurian legends.

     We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday is Handcraft Day at Merriconeag!
      Every Wednesday up until the Fall Festival (Nov. 3) our handwork teachers will be offering free handcraft classes in our beautiful new Handcraft Building on the main campus. Everyone is welcome - whether you are a novice or a very experienced hand worker (knitting, sewing, felting, crocheting), a new parent or returning parent, this is a wonderful way to connect with other parents, deepen friendships, learn a new skill and get instructions and patterns for a new project. The items you make in this class will be sold at the Fall Festival, so on top of all these other reasons to come, you will feel good about supporting Merriconeag!
Fall Fair Crafts

Wednesday, October 3, 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.: Treasure bags with counting gems. All instruction and materials provides for sewing up colorful little pouches for your favorite secret treasures.

Wednesday, October 10, 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Join Susan Caron in re-purposing old sweaters and turn them into cozy cases for knitting needles and crochet hooks. No sewing experience is needed.

     No little ones in the morning sessions, please, but children in grades 4 and up are most welcome to attend the afternoon sessions with an adult or on their own. Please sign up with Lisa in the grade school office so we can plan our supplies.
      If you have a suggestion for a project or would like to lead a session please contact Sandy or Julie.
We look forward to working and laughing with you as we prepare for the fair.
Handwork Teachers: Sandy Pearson, spearson@merriconeag.org and Julie Pennington, jpennington@merriconeag.org.

Doll Workshops
We are pleased to announce two doll making workshops for the fall season! Come join us if you would like to make a very special doll for holiday giving or just enjoy the experience of creating these beautiful dolls. Made from sheep's wool and cotton knit fabric these dolls reflect the inner softness and warmth of both their maker and their little owner.

Julie Pennington will host a Heavy (millet) Baby Workshop

beginning on Wed. Nov 7, 8:30 - 10:00am

and continuing for 5 Wednesday mornings.

This doll is the 12", 3 lb baby in a bunting and is suitable for a young kindergarten child. The cost of the workshop is $45.00 with all materials and instruction provided. Limited to 10 participants. Contact Julie with questions or to register at jpennington@merriconeag.org

Sandy Pearson will host a Waldorf Dress up Doll Workshop

beginning Wed. October 17*, 7:00 - 8:30 pm

and continuing for 9 Wednesday evenings.

This is a 16" soft doll suitable for older kindergarten and grade school children.

The cost of making this doll is $85.00 with all materials and instruction provided. Limited to 10 participants.Contact Sandy with questions or to register at spearson@merriconeag.org

* This is a date change.

Note: Some donated materials have made it possible for us to offer a few materials scholarships ($15.00)

to help defray the cost of the workshops. Please let us know if this would be help you attend.

Early Childhood Parent Chat Room

Wednesday mornings, 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.

Early Childhood Center, Bluebell Room

Join host Michael Fenderson, French Teacher for EC through Grade 8, and long-time Merriconeag parent, for a chat - share questions, get to know each other, and sip a warm cup of coffee or tea.

From the Admissions Office

Dear Current Merriconeag Families:
      We wish to thank all of you for continuing to “talk up” Merriconeag as you are out and about in the larger community. Your enthusiasm about your child’s Waldorf experience is often what prompts a family to call me for more information. We are already receiving inquiries about admission for 2013-14, but also are open to the possibility of new students joining during the current school year. Please encourage families to contact me at any time about available openings.

     During the fall, we offer many events designed to introduce families to our unique and vibrant school. The first, our annual High School Information Night for parents and prospective students, is on Tuesday, October 23, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Held on the Freeport campus in the Community Hall, this year’s presentation will include a panel of Waldorf graduates who will reflect on how their education prepared them to take up college (and life). Dates for parents to observe high school classes are November 7, December 6, January 23, March 6, however, we are happy to arrange other visiting times as well. We invite prospective high school students to shadow for a day – the fall is an excellent time to do this!

     Interested parents may sign up for Tours of Grades 1 – 8 on November 13 and December 11. At the Early Childhood level, Tea and Play sessions will be offered from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 11 and Thursday, October 18, and are an easy way for parents and young children to come for an initial visit. At these sessions, parents enjoy tea with an early childhood teacher while their children play nearby. An Early Childhood Information Session is scheduled for December 5. Parents are signing up now for the winter session (January through March) of Parent-Infant and Parent-Toddler classes.

     Our annual Admissions Open House is held during the Fall Festival on Saturday, November 3. This is a great outreach event for families who want an experience of our school community, but are not yet ready to schedule a more formal visit or interview.

     Please contact me (admissionsdirector@merriconeag.org) if you know of any new families who may wish to attend one of these events, or come for a visit at another time. You can also refer families to www.merriconeag.org where they will find a great deal of information about Waldorf education in general and Merriconeag in particular.

     Again, thanks for all that you do to help prospective families learn more about us. Best regards, Lyn Baird

From the Development Office

Grandparents and Friends Day:
      All grandparents listed on your families’ school information forms have been sent invitation to the Oct. 19 Grandparents and Friends Day. If they do not receive it by mid-week, or if you have any questions, please contact Lynne Espy.

     A number of families (particularly families new to the school) did not submit grandparent information into the RenWeb database, and therefore we have no way to invite your child’s grandparents or special friends to this wonderful event. If there is someone you would like to invite (aunt, uncle, surrogate grandparent, or even a neighbor who is a special friend of your child), please send us their complete name and address so we can mail them an invitation. We get wonderful feedback from grandparents about this day; it gives them a rare glimpse into Waldorf education, as demonstrated through the delightful performances by their grandchildren and special young friends.

     A few more volunteers are still needed for Grandparents and Friends Day; this involves helping with refreshment setup and cleanup, organizing nametags, and greeting guests. You would need to available to help from 8:15a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (you can watch the performance). Lynne Espy, developmentcoordinator@merriconeag.org,

865-3900 Ext. 116

News From the Grade School

Visitors in Second Grade: The second grade has had three visitors over the past three weeks. They came a bit shyly, hidden beneath leaves in a big jar. They showed beautiful colors and an even bigger appetite for leaves. But just when we had begun to know their caterpillars’ daily lives, they started slowing down and building little capsules - over night! Suddenly there were no more caterpillars in the jar but three beautiful green cocoons with special golden spots like pearls dangling from twigs. I am always reminded of delicate fabrics from India, when I see the green and gold.

     Then for some time nothing happened...until in Mr. Beringer’s class Mr. Beringer suddenly asked the students to be very quiet and had them lie down on their bellies in a great sunflower circle (heads to the middle, feet outside). He brought the jar into the middle and we could all observe the first moments in a butterfly’s life: crumpled wings, that needed some smoothing and some drying. The butterfly’s wings showed the characteristic design of a monarch.

     The next day we decided it was time for the monarch to see the world. During recess we offered the butterfly in the jar the warming sunshine. It definitely tried to get out, but didn’t find its way. With the help of a stick it was lifted into freedom. And now, dear reader, imagine sunshine, blue sky, green grass, trees in Michaelic colors of red and gold, laughter of children and a butterfly finding its destiny... To the cheering of the children it flew higher and higher, being lifted by the wind. It seemed to circle above us and then became a little red-yellow dot against a blue sky.

     In the jar, its companions remain, still asleep. One only waited another hour to hatch. Now this one is drying off its initial birth dew in our classroom in the jar.

     It is a beautiful cycle of life. Laura Ghedina

Michaelmas 2012

Dear Parents: Last Friday, our faculty and students celebrated Michaelmas with songs, stories, baking and eating dragon breads, community service and games. Potatoes were roasted and apples were pressed for cider, and enjoyed by all during a rainy afternoon lunch.
      I apologize for the change in the scheduling of the short pageant of Saint Michael and the Dragon, that was not communicated to parents who received the earlier plan in the Tuesday News. We realized that our timing needed to be changed to facilitate the work crews and failed to send out that change in an e-mail to parents.
      I am very sorry for any disappointment and inconvenience that this change caused the parents who wished to attend. This was a most unfortunate oversight. Sincerely, Christine Sloan, Administrator

Fall Festival & Open House

Fall Festival Planning is Gaining Momentum: A dynamic meeting on Tuesday morning brought together many of the 2012 Fall Festival coordinators. We are very excited about bringing back the time-tested favorites: the café, children’s crafts, Pocket People, Squirrel’s Attic, outdoor games, and puppet shows. We will also have the popular grilled sausages, chili, and the gently used outerwear and book sale. And this year we are adding craft activities for older students, plus the Merriconeag Marketplace – sales of some of our community artisans’ work.

     The Fall Festival requires the help of everyone in our school community; and we hope every parent will be able to pitch in, by working a shift the day of the Festival, contributing to the food at the café or lunch, and donating items for the craft activities and gently used sale.

     We also need a few more coordinators. Please review the list below to see which activities still need a second coordinator and let us know if you can help. The list below is ONLY areas where we still need help (and the number of additional coordinators needed). If you want to help in another area, just let us know – we can ALWAYS use more volunteers!
Co-coordinators Still needed (and primary tasks):
• Children’s Outdoor games (1) – repair, setup, oversight
• Cafe (2) – soliciting, pricing, setup
• Outerwear Sale (1) – collecting, pricing, displaying
• Outdoor Decorations (1) – purchasing pumpkins, hay bales, cornstalks.
• Recycling, Compost, Trash (1) – work with Lucy Ahearne on the plan

What you can do now!
Search your cabinets and closets at home, and bring the following to any office:
• Gently Used Outerwear: sizes toddler through high school – coats, hats, boots, mittens, rain gear, snow suits, cross country running and skiing apparel.
• Quality Used Books: paperback or hardback, in excellent condition, classics to current, that will appeal to our Waldorf community.

     Please consider how you would like to bring your talents and whatever time you can spare to this fun, fall event.
Christine Sloan, Lynne Espy, Lisa Mainella on behalf of the entire Fall Festival Committee, developmentcoordinator@merriconeag.org, 865-3900, Ext. 116

Athletic News - Sports Updates

High School Cross Country

Festival of Champions - Belfast 9/29/12: Another Saturday, another long van ride, this time northeast in the rain to Belfast for the Festival of Champions meet. Merriconeag runners competed in five different races, all of which were wet, cold, muddy affairs. The pace was fast for every race, particularly in the first mile. Belfast's flat, looping course offered great spectating opportunities, and we would like to thank all our spectators, parent drivers, assistants, cheerleaders, split recorders, and snack providers. It was a great opportunity to preview the state meet course and we had some excellent individual results.

     First up was the boys' unseeded race, which saw the bulk of the boys'

team compete. Ben led the charge, maintaining a steady pace over the second and third miles and racing to his fastest time of the season. Moritz was next, squeaking in under the twenty minute barrier with a strong finishing kick and a new PR. Lars also set a new personal best after a blistering first mile. John ran a very steady, even paced race and was closely followed by Cesar, who still managed to conserve energy for his typical final sprint despite a very quick first mile. Lincoln was next, with a valiant effort despite not feeling his best. Graham had another challenging race, starting out with a strong first mile and then gutting it out for the remaining two.

     Next was the girls' unseeded race. Emelie went out hard in the front of the race, and she and Zoe O were rewarded for their aggressive runs by finishes in the top 20. Emelie ran her fastest race of the season while Zoe O set a new PR by almost 30 seconds. Despite taking a tumble on the rocks (ask to see her scars), Emma was also able to run her fastest race so far this fall (perhaps it was all that adrenaline).

     Phoebe was the sole Merriconeag runner in the girls' freshman race, but being on her own didn't stop her from crushing her previous PR by over two minutes for the most improved time of the day-she even ran a faster pace than her Manchester race, which was a mile shorter.

     She was followed by the boys' seeded race, which saw the leaders go out in a sub-5 minute first mile. Jack, of course, was among them, and he hung on for a fourth place finish overall. Zach also had a great day, where, despite a head cold he managed to set another PR (this one even more maddeningly close to breaking 18 minutes).

     Finally, the girls' seeded race took to the course. Sam led the team with a strong first mile, setting a new PR by over ten seconds. Teagan also had a strong race, just beating her time at Manchester to bag her fastest time of the season. Zoe C-D and Carlin helped pace each other through most of the race, with Zoe breaking away in the last half mile to just edge out her sister's time. Carlin was not far behind with a steady finish.

     The girls' team finished 34th. The boys' team finished 35th. Compiled results for girls and boys can be found here. Coach Morgan Lake Adams   

Upcoming race: Thie Friday, October 5, NYA hosts Merriconeag, Freeport, and Sacopee Valley

at Royal River Park in Yarmouth. Please note that for this race the boys run at 4:00 and the girls at 4:30 p.m. Please join us! For meet details, please click here.           

Full results, schedules and more information can be found on our Cross Country Blog.

Congratulations to Coach Morgan Lake Adams and her relay team,

the Gressives, for placing 2nd in the Maine Marathon last Sunday!

Middle School Cross Country

 Merriconeag hosts Freeport, Durham, Yarmouth, Greely at 57 Desert Road, Freeport. The boys race at 4:00 and the girls at 4:30. Please come out and cheer with us!   Click here for race schedule.

School Community Updates

Traffic Alert: Parents and teachers have been expressing concern at the speed of commuter traffic on Desert Road this September. We will be requesting that the Freeport Police Department monitor speeds near the school in the coming weeks in order to slow traffic and provide a safer road for our families who are walking and biking to school. Please be cautious regarding the posted speed limits.
In addition, our own driveway safety regulations must be adhered to for our students' protection. Please remember:
* No U Turns in the driveway.
* Do not cross the driveway to park on the left side of the road near the lower grades building. You are welcome to park on the side of the road, but follow the traffic loop through the parking area to do so.
* Please respect the posted signs in the driveway - "15 MPH", and "No Parking" against the barrier.
Thank you for supporting the safety guidelines in our busy parking lot. Christine Sloan

Gnome Babies a Success: At last Wednesday's handwork session we made 32 little gnome babies for the Squirrel's Attic! I'd really like to send a huge thank you to everyone who came out and helped make this project such a huge success - especially Greta Parsons who sewed all the bodies for us, and an extra big thank you to the 4th and 5th graders who stayed after school to create such magical babies! I hope you all come out to enjoy the Squirrel's Attic at the Fall Festival. It's this kind of community support that makes my heart burst wide open with pleasure! It's such a wonderful atmosphere that Sandy and Julie have created by opening up the Handwork building for these days of creativity. A huge thank you to all, Aly Fullagar

Friday Pizza Begins Next Week: The 7th grade will again be coordinating pizza this year. The fall session is a total of 9 weeks beginning October 5th and ending December 14th. Sign up for pizza will be for the entire session only.
Pizza choices will be cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom and the cost will be $2.00 per slice. As in prior years, students in grades 4-8 and faculty will have the chance to participate during the fall session.
Students will have the option to omit or skip a pizza day in the case of a known or anticipated absence (i.e., Dr.’s appointment). Please provide the date(s) of known absences. Adjustments or refunds cannot be made for unanticipated or last minute absences.
To order pizza for the fall session, please complete an order form (click here for pizza order form)and return it with cash or check (made payable to MWS) to the basket outside the 7th grade classroom no later than Tuesday, October 2nd. Thank you from the 7th grade!

Part-time, Afternoon Assistant Position Available: Merriconeag Waldorf School is offering a part-time position for an assistant in the Nursery/Kindergarten afternoon program, Monday through Thursday, from 11:00 to 3:30. Prior background in working with young children and special interest in Waldorf education is necessary. Certification in a Waldorf Early Childhood program is not required, but would be a benefit. This position is currently available now through December 20, but has the possibility of continuing through the school year till June 5.
To Apply: Please send a letter of introduction, your resume, a brief biography, and two letters of recommendation to the attention of the Administrator, Christine Sloan at administrator@merriconeag.org.

Willow Pond Farm Apples are Back: Starting this Friday, September 28, apples will be delivered to Merriconeag's Early Childhood Center on Fridays before 11:30am. Orders must be placed with Willow Pond Farm (willowpf@aol.com) by Thursday at noon. Please leave payment in envelope in Early Childhood Office PRIOR to delivery.
McIntosh and Cortland Fancy: peck $11, half bushel $18
McIntosh Utility: half bushel $10.50, bushel $18
Cider- no preservatives, not pasteurized - Gallon $5.95, half gallon $3.75
Northern Spy apples available in October.
Jill Agnew, Willow Pond Farm, 395 Middle Road, Sabattus, Maine 04280, 207-375-6662

Read (Listen to or Watch) This

Is "secondhand" TV taking a toll on kids?
CNN Health, by Amanda Gardner, Health.com
updated 7:17 AM EDT, Mon October 1, 2012

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